What Is the Mechanical Licensing Collective and How Does It Pay Songwriters?

Streaming royalties do not all travel through the same system. If you wrote or co-wrote music that is available through interactive streaming or download services in the United States, The Mechanical Licensing Collective, commonly called The MLC, may be part of how your digital mechanical royalties reach you.

Understanding what The MLC collects, who needs to register, and how song ownership data is matched can help you avoid leaving publishing royalties unclaimed.

What Is the Mechanical Licensing Collective?

The Mechanical Licensing Collective is a nonprofit organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office to administer the blanket mechanical license created under the Music Modernization Act.

Under this system, eligible digital service providers report music usage and send mechanical royalty payments to The MLC. The MLC then works to match those reported streams and downloads to registered musical compositions and their owners.

When a match is made and the applicable ownership shares have been claimed, The MLC can distribute the royalties to self-administered songwriters, music publishers, publishing administrators, and other eligible rightsholders.

The important distinction is that The MLC deals with the underlying song, including its lyrics and melody. It does not collect royalties for ownership of the sound recording itself. For a complete explanation of those two sides of a song, read our guide to music publishing.

Which Royalties Does The MLC Collect?

Royalties covered by The MLC

The MLC administers digital audio mechanical royalties generated by eligible uses in the United States under the blanket mechanical license. These uses can include:

• Interactive streams where listeners can choose a specific song
• Limited downloads made available for offline listening through eligible services
• Permanent digital downloads

Services operating under the blanket license submit usage reports and associated royalty payments to The MLC. The MLC uses the information in those reports to identify the composition connected to each recording and determine which rightsholders should be paid.

Royalties The MLC does not collect

The MLC is only one part of a songwriter’s royalty collection system. It does not replace every other music rights organization.

The MLC generally does not collect:

• Master recording royalties paid through a distributor, record label, or direct licensing agreement
• Public performance royalties administered by performing rights organizations
• Digital performance royalties for eligible non-interactive sound recording uses
• Synchronization fees from film, television, advertising, games, or other visual media
• Every mechanical royalty generated outside the United States

This is why registering with only one organization is rarely enough to collect every royalty connected to a release. A songwriter may need a distributor, a performing rights organization, The MLC or a publishing administrator, and other collection partners depending on how the music is used.

How Does The MLC Work?

The royalty process generally follows these steps:

1. A digital service reports usage. Eligible digital service providers send The MLC information about streams and downloads covered by the blanket license.
2. The service sends mechanical royalties. The royalty payment accompanies the usage data according to the applicable reporting schedule.
3. The MLC matches recordings to compositions. The MLC compares the reported recording information with registered song and ownership data.
4. Ownership shares are reviewed. The MLC identifies the self-administered songwriter, publisher, administrator, or other party entitled to collect each registered share.
5. Royalties are distributed. The MLC issues monthly royalty statements and payments to eligible Members.

The payment received in a particular month usually relates to music usage from an earlier month because digital services need time to submit their reports and The MLC needs time to process and match the data.

You can review the organization’s current process on its official How The MLC Works page.

Who Should Become a Member of The MLC?

Self-administered songwriters

You may need to become a Member of The MLC if you wrote or co-wrote a song and retained the right to register your own composition shares and collect your own U.S. digital mechanical royalties.

This is commonly described as being a self-administered songwriter. You do not necessarily need to create a separate publishing company before joining. Many self-administered songwriters register as individual Members.

Membership and musical work registration are free. Visit The MLC’s membership page to review the eligibility requirements and available account types.

Songwriters with a publisher or administrator

You generally do not need to create a separate MLC membership for shares that are already being administered by a music publisher or publishing administrator.

If you have authorized another company to register your compositions and collect U.S. digital mechanical royalties, that company should handle the applicable MLC registrations and claims for you.

Do not register the same ownership share through multiple parties without first confirming who has administration authority. Duplicate or conflicting registrations can delay matching and payment.

How to Register Songs and Collect Through The MLC

If you are responsible for administering your own compositions, use the following process to improve your chances of being matched and paid correctly.

1. Confirm your ownership information

Before registering a composition, confirm every songwriter’s legal name, performing rights organization affiliation, writer identifier, publisher information, and agreed ownership percentage.

When several people contributed to the song, use a written agreement to confirm every writer’s ownership split before submitting registrations.

2. Determine who controls the registration

Confirm whether you are self-administered or whether a publisher or publishing administrator controls your share. This determines whether you should register directly or let your representative manage the process.

3. Create the correct Member account

If you are self-administered and eligible, create an individual Member account. If a legal publishing entity controls the compositions, the entity may need to register as a publisher Member instead.

4. Register each musical work

Register the underlying composition, not just the released recording. Include accurate titles, alternate titles, writer information, publisher information, ownership shares, and available recording data.

5. Review the Public Work Search

The MLC’s Public Work Search allows anyone to review song ownership information in its database. Use it to check whether a composition is already registered, whether the title and writers are accurate, and whether all ownership shares have been claimed.

6. Use the Claiming and Matching Tools

Members can use The MLC’s tools to claim missing ownership shares and propose connections between reported recordings and registered musical works.

The Claiming Tool is used when a composition is registered but your ownership share is missing. The Matching Tool helps connect unmatched recording usage to a registered composition.

7. Review statements and maintain your catalog

Check your royalty statements, payment information, registrations, and song data regularly. Update your catalog when ownership changes, a new recording of a composition is released, or incorrect information appears.

For a broader review of the accounts and registrations independent creators may need, use our royalties checklist for independent artists.

Common MLC Registration Mistakes

Even a small data problem can make it harder to match a recording with the correct composition. Watch for these common mistakes:

• Assuming your distributor registers compositions. Distribution primarily manages the sound recording side of a release. Publishing registration is a separate process.
• Joining a performing rights organization but ignoring mechanical royalties. A PRO and The MLC administer different rights and royalty types.
• Using inconsistent writer or publisher names. Use the same legal names and identifiers across your registrations whenever possible.
• Submitting ownership percentages that do not agree. Confirm splits with every contributor before registering the song.
• Registering a share that your publisher already controls. Verify administration rights before creating a duplicate claim.
• Registering the recording but not the composition. The MLC needs information about the underlying musical work and the recordings connected to it.
• Failing to review partially claimed works. A composition may appear in the database while one or more ownership shares remain unclaimed.

Do You Need Publishing Administration?

Registering compositions, managing ownership data, monitoring claims, and collecting royalties through different organizations can take time. It can also become more complicated when your music earns publishing royalties in several countries.

A publishing administrator can handle registrations and collection activity on behalf of eligible songwriters without necessarily taking ownership of their compositions.

Symphonic Publishing Administration helps independent artists, songwriters, and labels register compositions, manage publishing data, and collect eligible publishing royalties from multiple territories.

The right setup depends on who owns the composition, who controls each share, and whether another publisher or administrator is already representing the song. Confirm those details before registering directly with The MLC or appointing an administrator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does The MLC pay artists directly?

The MLC pays eligible composition rightsholders, including self-administered songwriters, publishers, and publishing administrators. An artist who wrote the song and controls the applicable composition share may receive royalties through The MLC. An artist who only performed on or owns the master recording would not receive MLC royalties for that reason alone.

Is The MLC the same as a performing rights organization?

No. The MLC administers certain U.S. digital mechanical royalties. Performing rights organizations collect public performance royalties for songwriters and publishers. Many songwriters need both types of representation.

Do I need to join The MLC if I have a publisher?

Usually not for shares administered by your publisher. Your publisher or publishing administrator should register those compositions and collect the applicable royalties. Confirm the scope of your agreement before creating a separate claim.

Does it cost money to join The MLC?

No. Eligible rightsholders can become Members and register musical works without paying a membership or work registration fee.

Does my distributor collect The MLC royalties?

A music distributor generally collects income connected to the sound recording, while The MLC deals with mechanical royalties connected to the underlying composition. Some companies offer both distribution and separate publishing administration services, but enrolling in distribution alone does not necessarily register your compositions with The MLC.

Does The MLC collect mechanical royalties worldwide?

No. The blanket license administered by The MLC applies to eligible digital uses in the United States. A songwriter may need a publisher, publishing administrator, or foreign collection society to collect mechanical royalties generated in other territories.

What happens when The MLC cannot match a stream to a song?

The associated usage may remain unmatched until enough information is available to connect the recording to the correct composition. Members can review available data and use The MLC’s Matching Tool to propose matches for works they control.

How often does The MLC pay royalties?

The MLC distributes royalties to eligible Members monthly. Payments generally reflect usage from an earlier month because digital services must first report the usage and The MLC must process, match, and calculate the royalties.

The bottom line: If you write your own music, do not assume that distributing a recording automatically registers the composition or collects every publishing royalty. Confirm who controls your song shares, make sure the compositions are registered correctly, and regularly review the data connected to your catalog.